


Germaine to the Issue

by Sadaralo



Category: Perry Mason (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-03-18 00:31:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3549338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sadaralo/pseuds/Sadaralo





	1. Chapter 1

Mignon Germaine never ceased to be amazed at all the magical pathways in life that led to the truth. Decisions she’d made in her youth had led to the well guarded secret she’d hoped never to have to reveal. She’d been young and naïve then and more concerned about the future and happiness of a good friend at that time than she was the possibility that time would eventually reveal all and in less than ideal circumstances.

It had started out an ordinary day like any other. She and her good friend of nearly 30 years were meeting for lunch as they normally did a couple times a month. Arriving at the intended destination earlier than she’d anticipated the raven haired woman ducked into a few clothing stores nearby in order to kill some time.

On her way back to the restaurant she was meeting her longtime friend at, she passed a nearby café. Movement caught her attention out of the corner of her eye and she turned her head to see her handsome son, Larry waving enthusiastically to her from a window inside the café. Mignon smiled warmly at her son and noted the presence of a pretty young woman seated in the booth across the table from Larry. Recognizing the young woman, Mignon’s heart lurched in dread. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the girl. Far from it, in fact. She’d known Larry’s lunch lunch companion since the day she was born and knew she was the polar opposite of that floozy Carina Willeen who’d nearly ended Larry’s career and possibly his life had it not been for the joint efforts of herself, Perry Mason, and Hamilton Burger.

She considered going in for a few minutes to visit with them, but upon checking her watch she realized she only had a few minutes before she was due to join Burger for lunch. She tapped her watch and pointed in the direction she was headed to let Larry know she had no time to visit and he nodded with a smile and resumed his conversation with the young woman he was with.

Mignon would ask him about his relationship with the young lady later. Hopefully it wasn’t what she feared it was or several people were about to be hurt when the truth came out.

W^^^W^^^W

Hamilton Burger frowned as he sipped his coffee. Mignon could be aloof and distant at times, but today took the cake. She was plain, downright distracted by something and it concerned the district attorney.

“What’s the matter, Mignon? You seem unusually distracted today.”

Mignon looked away from Burger’s intense gaze and let out a frustrated sigh. She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to confide in Burger so soon since she had no idea yet if her fears were even based in reality. Still… Burger might know more than she did since women were more likely to talk about their relationships and hopes for such. 

 

“On my way here, I happened upon Larry having lunch with Katie.”

Burger’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “I know. They’ve been seeing a lot of each other the past month. You didn’t know that? Is it a problem? Katie is a good kid.”

He tried not to come across as defensive even though it sounded like Mignon had an issue with Larry seeing his second daughter. At least Larry was closer to Katie’s age than Paul Drake was to Helen’s. While Burger hadn’t really seen it coming either, he didn’t think Larry and Katie would be bad for each other. Larry was a skilled and knowledgeable up and coming attorney with an excellent law school record and Katie was following in her mother’s footsteps in counseling.

Mignon shook her head as she took a sip of ice water. “He’d mentioned he’d been hanging around with a girl, but he hadn’t mentioned details. He tends to clam up when I pry so I try not to. Though I worry about him sometimes, I try to trust that he’ll tell me important things when he’s ready. And yes, it’s a problem, Hamilton, but not for the reason you think. The problem isn’t Katie herself. You know I think highly of all of your daughters.”

“Alright…,” Hamilton said, more confused than before. “Then what is the problem, Mignon? Are you worried that if they don’t work out it will somehow affect our friendship?”

“It could,” Mignon said seriously, but she was still holding back. What if it was all her imagination? What is there was nothing going on between Larry and Katie? She really didn’t want to reveal her only deep, dark secret unless she truly had to. Too many people would be swept up in the storm that would redevelop because she hadn’t confronted it all those years ago.

Burger studied her intently. Friends didn’t go 30 years without learning to read each other’s non verbals and he could see that Mignon wasn’t coughing up everything that was on her mind.

“Out with it, Mignon,” he said bluntly. “I can see there’s more to it than what you’re telling me.”

It was like pulling teeth and it was starting to make him angry. He endured that process enough in his work as district attorney.

Mignon wasn’t the type of woman to wither under the icy stare of anyone, but Hamilton Burger could be intimidating at times, no doubt owing to many years of grilling witnesses on the stand in the courtroom. She met his eyes unflinchingly and like a ton of bricks, it hit the hapless prosecutor as he quickly put the pieces together. If it had nothing to do with Katie herself… 

Unbidden a memory of one night during a party at George’s house shortly before he met Alexandra replayed itself in Burger’s mind and his eyes widened to the size of saucers.

He inhaled sharply; suddenly feeling like someone had punched him in the gut and unable to breathe.

“Mignon… please tell me it isn’t what I think it is. Of all things to keep from a man…”


	2. Chapter 2

“Larry is your biological son, Hamilton.”

It had been the most difficult utterance of Mignon Germaine’s entire life. Her eyelids fluttered closed and long dark, eyelashes rested on her cheeks as she fought back the threatening tears valiantly. Knowing that she was the cause for whatever maelstrom of emotions that Hamilton was caught up in at that moment cut through her heart and soul like a knife through warm butter. But she also knew that her own pain was nothing compared to what her lifelong friend was enduring; feelings of betrayal and fury no doubt that would near the top of a rather lengthy and completely justified list.

When she opened them again, Hamilton was still staring at her in disbelief, struggling to process her last statement. Questions whirled through his mind, but were lost in the chaos of his emotions. A son, raised by his best, oldest friends and right under his nose for nearly three decades. A son he never knew was even his. Why hadn’t he seen it? Why hadn’t he ever asked? What had he missed? It seemed so obvious now. Larry’s facial features were similar to Mignon’s, but not his coloring. He didn’t look like Mignon’s husband and Hamilton’s best friend, George who, like Mignon, had dark hair. Larry’s hair, though straight like his mother’s, was red like Hamilton’s.

“I’m deeply sorry, Hamilton. George and I did what we believed was the best thing for all involved at that time. Please believe that. George confessed his feelings for me shortly after you and I decided to end our physical relationship. He and I had begun dating when I learned I was pregnant. I admitted to him what had happened between us and that you were the baby’s father. He and I were both concerned that if I told you that you were the father you’d quit college and go to work to support us. And you had just fallen in love with Alexandra. We didn’t want to see you sacrifice your future and happiness to be with a woman you didn’t love just for the sake of Larry when George was in love with me and happy to accept the responsibilities of raising Larry.”

“But he was still my son, Mignon!” Burger ground out, his eyes blazing liquid fury. “Our son! In my best interest or not, you and George robbed me of the choice to be a father to Larry!”

His peripheral vision detected that they’d attracted rubberneckers from the surrounding tables even though he’d done his best to keep his voice low. He yanked his wallet out from his jacket pocket in an angry motion and pulled out thirty bucks, tossing it onto the table. That should more than cover the tab with a healthy tip leftover. Mignon had volunteered the answers to most of his questions so at least he had those, but he was still in shock. And furious. And a whole host of other emotions he could sort out at the moment. He needed space and time to think. He reflected with some irony that while he only won court cases against Perry Mason once in a blue moon, he was 2/2 in knocking women up out of wedlock. His wedding to Alexandra had been bumped up to accommodate the unexpected arrival of their daughter, Helen.

“That’s just like my luck,” he groused, mostly to himself though he noticed Mignon raise an eyebrow as she listened in. “Can’t beat Perry Mason in court to save my life, but my damned sperm hits a bullseye on the first damned try…”

Mignon couldn’t help it. She busted out laughing. Hamilton’s self deprecating humor was amazing sometimes.

He glared at her, though after so many years of friendship, she could still see the humor and softness in his bright blue eyes.

“Are you even going to tell our son?” Sarcasm fairly dripped off of the last two words and Mignon looked down at her hands. She deserved that and he deserved an answer.

She nodded. “Yes, I’ll do it tonight, Hamilton.”

“Excellent,” he replied, standing and shrugging his suit jacket back on and checking his watch. He needed to be in court within the hour. It was going to be a long afternoon. “It should be an interesting morning tomorrow when Larry shows up to work.”

“You won’t have to let him go because of this, will you?!” Mignon exclaimed, her mind seizing on the potential repercussions for the two men and the fact they worked in the same office.

“Fortunately, no,” Hamilton said plainly. “Because neither of us knew we were father and son when he was hired on, there should be no issues in both of us remaining. Of course, it is a rather splendid example of why honest is usually the best policy, hmmm?”

That was a bit of relief for the striking raven haired woman anyway. She wasn’t out of the woods yet though. It remained to be seen how much permanent damage would be left in the wake of her revelation.

“And what about us, Hamilton? Will we be alright?”

“Probably, Mignon. I do need a few days to let it all sink in, okay? I have to get to court. I’ll call you when I’m ready to talk some more.”

 

“I understand, Hamilton,” she said somberly, but her clear blue eyes sparkled with mischief. “Careful you don’t point that thing at Alexandra tonight or else you might have bullseye number six.”

“Just couldn’t resist, could you?” He shook his head with a laugh.

He walked out by himself. Even though the conversation ended with a joke and a laugh, he still needed away from Mignon and the whole situation at that moment. Normally, he’d have walked her out to her car, but he figured if she could raise their son without him, she could make it all the way out to her car without him as well.


	3. Chapter 3

“Hamilton knows, George.”

“Knows?” George Germaine repeated absent mindedly as he rifled through the refrigerator looking for a beer as his mind rifled through recent events hoping to identify just what is was that Mignon said their best friend knew. “Knows what?”

“About Larry,” Mignon said plainly as she dried another dish and stowed it away in the cabinet to her right.

“Ah ha! There it is!” George exclaimed, locating the elusive last beer hiding behind the milk jug. He plucked it from the shelf and let the refrigerator door swing shut. And then Mignon’s meaning sank in as he realized that she was referring to Larry’s paternity and not recent events in the district attorney’s office or something. Suddenly he couldn’t tell if the chill that had come over him was from that realization or from the beer. 

Confusion was etched on his still boyish face as he looked over at his raven haired wife. “But how? Did he figure it out on his own somehow? I mean, Hamilton is a really smart guy, but we’ve been so careful…”

Mignon stopped him with a slender hand up and George trailed off. “I told him at lunch today. Normally, I would have discussed the matter with you first, but… you see, I bumped into Larry at lunch today. He appeared to be on a date with Helen. That forced our hand obviously. Larry is on his way over soon so I can tell him.”

“Are you sure it was a date though? Maybe they bumped into each other like you did them and they just decided to have lunch. It’s not like they didn’t spend a lot of time together as kids and teens.”

Mignon sighed heavily as she plucked another dish out of the water and began cleaning it. “It’s possible, George, but in case it’s more serious than that I believe the responsible thing to do is reveal the truth. Biologically, George is the half brother to all of Hamilton’s daughters and it’s better they find that out before something un-sibling like develops.”

Glancing up at the ceiling, George was the one to let out the deep sigh. “You’re right of course, Mignon. How did Hamilton take it? I’m surprised he didn’t race over here to slug the shit out of me.”

“He was shocked and angry, but overall he took it well. I was impressed. Still, it remains to be seen how he’ll act in the coming days and weeks once it really sinks in. I hope it doesn’t adversely affect his working relationship with Larry too much since they both work in the same office. I am very… concerned about that.”

The sudden sound of the front door being pushed open stopped the couple’s conversation.

“Larry,” Mignon realized as she and George exchanged looks. It wasn’t going to be the easiest conversation. “In here, Larry,” she called.

Larry joined them in the kitchen with his easy smile lighting up his handsome face. “Mom, dad. It’s great to see you. It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve been over, but it’s probably only been a few weeks,” he joked. 

His smile faded to concern though when he noticed how tense and serious his parents were. He hoped it wasn’t something truly serious like an illness or death in the family. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s… serious, but nothing tragic, son.” She considered asking them to sit down in the living room or at the dining room table or something, but Larry had a lot of energy and when fired up, he tended to bolt out of chairs and pace and move around, much like Hamilton Burger did. It was probably better if they simply remained in the kitchen where he had plenty of room.

“Wait… is this about seeing me with Katie earlier today?” Larry couldn’t imagine anything else recently that might have triggered concern in his mother. “Because she and I are both adults. I know we practically grew up together, but I promise we won’t let it screw up your friendship with Hamilton. Heck, I already work with the guy. If your friendship can survive that…”

Mignon’s eyes squeezed shut and she grimaced at the confirmation of her worst fears. Alright, well maybe not her worst, but in the ballpark. “Larry…,” she forced out, not wanting to hurt her son. She didn’t even know how long he and Helen had been seeing each other. “Larry, you can’t date Hamilton’s daughters. Any of them.”

The young man bristled, misinterpreting his mother’s concerns. “Mother, she and I are grown adults. It’s not for you or anyone else to dictate to us whether or not we can see each other!”

“Larry, Katie is your half sister.”

Larry stared at his mother as if she’d suddenly sprouted a second head and the room fell so silent one could hear a pin drop.

After a moment, he grinned and laughed, deciding it was all a prank and that at any moment, his mother would crack that mischievous smile of hers, offer him a soda, and go back to washing dishes like she had done when he was a child. Only this time, she didn’t and her left eyebrow raised in icy disapproval.

Larry sobered up quickly and the room suddenly began swimming. “Oh my god,” he said in disbelief. “It’s true?! Mother, please tell me it isn’t true?!”

“I wish I could, Larry. Hamilton Burger is your biological father.”

His bright blue eyes widened as that reality began setting in as well. He hadn’t even made it that far in processing it all; still stuck in the horrifying news that Helen was his half sister. It was just his luck he supposed to have a broken relationship radar. First that nutcase, Carina Willeen and now a half sister he never knew he was related to.

“Mother, I have to work with him! Does he even know? Has he known all this time? No wonder I was so readily accepted there!” Larry ground out angrily, turning away from Mignon.

George watched in silence from the corner of the kitchen near the dining room. He’d answer any questions Larry directed at him, but for now it was between Larry and Mignon. She was handling it much better than he felt he would have anyway.

“He knows,” Mignon said unflinchingly. It was surprisingly easier than she’d imagined to look her son in the eye with this. She supposed it was because she still had absolute conviction that she was right in the way she’d handled it all from day one. She just adjusted the sails if the winds changed. “I told him at lunch after I saw you with Katie.”

“Well, at least there won’t be any surprises when I see him in the office tomorrow,” he said sarcastically as he made his way back out the way he came.

“Larry!” Mignon called after him. “Larry, I know you’re upset, but let me explain!”

Larry just glared at her as he angrily yanked open the door to his car and dropped himself into the driver’s seat. “Some other time maybe. Right now, I’m not certain what explanation you could offer that I’d be ready to accept.”

He pulled out of the driveway abruptly in a screech of tires and drove off, leaving Mignon to ponder how she’d ever smooth things over.

“He just needs a few days to calm down, you know that. He’s his father’s son like that. It’ll be alright,” George murmured as he rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

Covering his hand with hers, Mignon squeezed it, thankful for George’s strong and steady presence; not just then, but over all the years they’d known each other.


	4. Chapter 4

The evening adjournment had been a welcome relief. So distracted had Hamilton been by the startling revelation by Mignon at lunch that the irascible prosecutor had found it difficult to focus in the courtroom. He’d muddled through well enough, but had he been having just a normal afternoon, he would have thought through his questions of the witnesses more thoroughly and Perry wouldn’t have had to object as frequently. Hamilton was also willing to bet there were a few occasions where he probably should have objected to something Perry was asking or doing, but missed because his thoughts kept drifting back to his personal issues. More than once, he’d caught Perry and Della watching him with looks of concern.

It frustrated Hamilton and made him angry with himself. He had always considered himself the consummate professional and pushed himself with great determination to give his very best in the courtroom every single time. And Perry had even hovered around the courtroom fiddling with paperwork while everyone else filed out of the courtroom. When it was nearly empty, he snapped it shut and glanced over at Hamilton who was half heartedly scrawling notes on a notepad, but it was obvious his mind was elsewhere. 

“Is everything alright, Hamilton? I noticed you seemed distracted up there today,” Perry asked gently.

Hamilton finished the sentence he was writing and then set the pencil down and looked up at the defense attorney.

“I don’t know, Perry,” Hamilton grudgingly admitted. “You remember my good friend, Mignon?”

“Oh yes, of course.”

“Yeah, well she dropped a rather significant personal bombshell on me at lunch today and I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind. Mainly because I have no idea how I’m going to handle it yet.”

“I don’t mean to pry, Hamilton, but perhaps if you told me what’s wrong I could offer a solution.”

Hamilton considered Perry’s words for a moment. While it was true that they were rivals in the courtroom, there was still a pretty strong bond between the two outside of it and Perry usually gave wise counsel, even in personal situations.

“Mignon and I go way back, Perry. All the way back to my freshman year in college. Her husband, George is my best friend. We were all friends along with several other people before Mignon and George got together. Before they did though, she and I slept together a few times. She told me at lunch that Larry is actually my son and not George’s.”

Perry’s big blue eyes widened at that. “What was her reason for withholding that information?”

“She said she and George had become an item shortly before she learned she was pregnant. She’d already told George what had happened between us so she wasn’t worried about telling George she was expecting. They decided together that it was in the best interest of everyone, including me and Larry, to let George raise Larry as his own. She said they believed I would quit college and go to work to support Mignon and the baby, which very well likely would have been the case. And I believe her, Perry. I’ve never known Mignon to tell a lie or be malicious.”

Perry digested that. He had the same impression of Mignon from the brief time he’d met with her when he’d represented her son, Larry. She was a no nonsense, decisive, and direct type that didn’t play games so it seemed unlikely to him as well that Mignon had been trying to hurt Hamilton. Still, it was plain as day on the prosecutor’s face that he was extremely unsettled by the whole revelation. Perry could only imagine how Hamilton felt.

“And now you have a wife and children to tell,” Perry voiced the problem. One of them anyway.

Hamilton nodded. “It will shock my daughters, but I told Alexandra about me and Mignon when I first got involved with her. Alex would be more shocked and worried about me finding out after so long than anything else. She’ll be understanding and supportive. Telling her won’t be as difficult as facing Larry tomorrow morning.”

Perry’s eyes lit up with humor and his signature smirk made a brief appearance. “Well, at least you know a good counselor.”

Hamilton chuckled at that, grateful for the much needed attempt at levity. “Mignon said she was going to tell Larry this evening, but I have no idea what I can possibly say to him the next time I see him, Perry.”

“I imagine it will be just as difficult for Larry as it will be for you, Hamilton. You’ll both have the common ground of having been in the dark about it for so long. That may help to break the ice. I wouldn’t try to force anything and maybe just see how things feel over the next few days. Something will happen or be said that will open the door for communication about it.”

“You’re right, Perry,” Hamilton gave him a small, but more relaxed smile. “I’ll try to stop fretting about it and get some sleep. Perhaps it will all look better in the morning.”

Slapping his courtroom opponent gently on the shoulder, Perry picked up his briefcase. “Well, if you need to talk some more, you know how to get in touch with me.”

“Thanks, Perry. I appreciate it.”


	5. Chapter 5

The drive home in his car was plagued with the memories of the two nights Hamilton and Mignon had made love. Well, perhaps plagued was too negative a word. The memories were thoroughly pleasant and Hamilton harbored no regrets, but they came unbidden and replayed themselves in his mind like a broken record.

Hamilton and George and their circle of friends all enjoyed the typical outdoorsy stuff that men liked; fishing, hunting, sports, and so on. Occasionally, lady friends or girlfriends would tag along. Mignon was one of the few women that went because she enjoyed the activities as much as she enjoyed being with her love. 

Unfortunately, as they all progressed through college and the school workloads and difficulty increased, the group found themselves with less and less time to enjoy those activities. And so it was that the group brainstormed ways to enjoy aspects of those activities closer to home. George pitched his tent right in his backyard so whenever the urge to sleep outdoors struck, but there was too much homework for a camping trip, George and Hamilton and whoever else wanted to could bum the tent in the backyard. Occasionally, they found themselves studying in it.

One particular gathering though found Mignon looking for a quiet place for a while. Since most of their friends were still inside, the tent seemed an ideal escape. Hamilton’s thoughts had apparently run along similar lines as that was where she found him hiding out with one of his textbooks.

“I apologize, Hamilton,” Mignon said, about to zip the tent flap shut again. “I didn’t know someone was already in here.”

“It’s alright, Mignon, come in. I need a break from the studying anyway,” Hamilton replied.

“I just need away from the noise for a little bit. They’re all drinking and getting louder with each beer,” she chuckled, fiddling with her ebony black hair. She hadn’t often been alone with Hamilton, though she felt she knew him well. The truth was she was romantically interested in their mutual friend George and not Hamilton, though she was aware of some physical attraction to the latter. Hamilton, though not as classically attractive as George was, had a charisma to him that was compelling, an endearing smile, and a voice whose deeper and warmer tones did things to her body that she’d barely admitted even to herself.

Her sharp blue eyes caught him watching her as she played with her long hair. She knew he found her physically attractive, though she suspected that, like her, was the extent of it for him. They both knew she really wanted George for the long haul.

They were silent for a moment, both somehow understanding that there was a current of sexual tension between them and it crackled in the air like static electricity. Mignon wanted him; just physically and probably just for that night, but she needed to see if he was even game for it. Zipping them into the tent, she scooted a little closer to Hamilton who squirmed at the sight of Mignon unbuttoning her blouse, exposing a bit of cleavage to his hungry eyes.

“Mignon…,” he took a ragged breath, both nervous and eager. “I don’t want to hurt you or take advantage of you. We both know you really love George.”

“I’m the one starting this, Hamilton. I’m sure. And I don’t wish to hurt you either because you’re right. I do love George, but I’m physically attracted to you as well. Just tonight, Hamilton…,” she said as she pressed her lips to his.

W^^^W^^^W

Hamilton pulled into his driveway to find Larry’s car parked alongside the curb out front. The sun hovering just over the horizon was blocked out by the tall trees across the street and the hastily vanishing light cast a looming shadow over the neighborhood and the two individuals sharing an emotional discussion on the sidewalk next to the assistant district attorney’s car.

Killing the engine to his own car, Hamilton heaved the heavy driver’s side door open and slid out of the seat, keys in hand. Larry finally glanced over at him, but it was obvious he was preoccupied with handling an emotionally distraught Kathryn Burger. She was dressed to go out, likely with Larry, but those plans had come to a screeching halt in the wake of uncovered truths. 

The shock to everyone involved was immense, particularly to Larry himself and Hamilton Burger, but Larry tried to remain focused and attentively caring to Katie. The bombshell that had landed on Larry earlier that day he had just had to ‘regift’ to the young woman who quite didn’t know how to process it just yet. Larry wanted desperately to comfort Katie, but found himself unsure of how to do so in a way that also encouraged emotional and physical distance. They now had to learn a new normal; that of brother and sister.

Her father’s presence finally registered on Katie and in a tearful plea, she turned to the one man she could count on for anything. “Dad? Please tell me it isn’t true…”

Her father’s grim expression was her answer and fresh tears welled up in her blue eyes. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It’s true. Larry and I just found out ourselves.”

Unable to hear anymore, Katie wiped away her tears as fresh ones fell onto her cheeks and fled back toward the front door.

“Katie, wait!” Larry called after her though he wasn’t sure what he would say if she actually stopped and turned back to him.

She didn’t and an awkward silence loomed in the warm dusk air between the two men as they watched their daughter and sister vanish into Hamilton’s beautiful house.

Katie’s extreme reaction filled her father with foreboding. How long had this… whatever it was… been going on between Katie and Larry? In most other cases, Hamilton would have considered the personal relationship of two people to be absolutely none of his business, but this was an extreme situation and these were his children who had just had their world turned upside down. He ached to know the emotional damage that had been wrought this day and yet he dreaded the answer at the same time.

Revulsion filled the district attorney as he summoned the strength to pry into Larry and Katie’s personal business.

“Larry…,” he began. Hamilton felt lost. For decades he’d grilled witnesses on the stand, often prying into their personal lives and uncovering private business that should never have to be disclosed publically; and though it made him uncomfortable and apologetic at times, this was the first time such prying actually made him feel sick to his stomach. 

“Son…,” he tried again, testing the waters. He wanted to show Larry that he was fully accepting of the fact that the young man was his son. “I don’t wish to pry, but I need to know how long and far this has gone on between you and Katie… I need to know the extent of the damage both to her and to you.”

“If you’re asking if she and I have been intimate, the answer is no. We’d only been out together a few times. We were supposed to go out again tonight, but…,” an exhale of frustration escaped the young man. “I’ll be alright, Mr. Bur-, er, dad… It’s Katie I’m concerned about. She admitted feelings for me a few weeks ago and apparently she’s felt that way for some time. The adjustment will be more difficult for her because she’s basically had her heart broken by this.”

Larry looked away from Hamilton. Calling him ‘dad’ had been felt strange. His entire life he’d believed that George Germaine was his biological father. Certainly the man had been his father in every other way that mattered, but Larry couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like to have been raised by Hamilton Burger. At least the question of where he’d inherited his red hair had finally been answered.

For Hamilton Burger, Larry’s reply brought mixed emotions. Relief flooded the older man that the two hadn’t shared anything more than a few dinners out together, but it pained him that Katie was secluded in her bedroom upstairs experiencing a special sort of pain that eventually everyone endured and no one else could take on for them.

“I apologize if I interfered. I… felt that Katie deserved an apology and an explanation in person about why I canceled our plans for tonight.” Larry dug into his coat pocket for his car keys and fidgeted with them as he looked anywhere but at Hamilton Burger. “Look, I know we need to talk about this as well, but I know Katie needs you right now so I think it’s best if I headed home for the night. I promise we’ll talk about it all soon.”

Hamilton nodded, though his expression was one of grave concern. “Alright, but I’m going to hold you to that.”

“I promise,” Larry grinned. “If I don’t, you can put me on the stand and cross examine me.”

“That’s my boy,” Hamilton said, returning the grin. “Now go on and get out of here and try to get some sleep.”

Hamilton hung back in the driveway for a moment, watching as Larry’s car drove out of sight. With a heavy sigh and an equally heavy heart, he glanced up at his house and reluctantly made his way to the door. Nearly any other night he would have been delighted to see his front door and his beautiful family. Now it yawned before him with unhappy tasks.

The antics of a younger, less restrained Hamilton Burger were now catching up with the older, wiser version and the hens were coming home to roost.


End file.
